5 Things Work at Home Moms Should Never Do

Working from home can offer moms the best of both worlds – a thriving home business and the ability to be there for their kids. However, to keep both worlds at their best, there are five things that work at home moms (WAHMs) should NEVER do:

Never lose track of your time.
For WAHMs, time is a big factor. Not having enough of it is one of the biggest complaints from moms who work from home. If you plan to be successful as a work at home mom, it’s important to establish a schedule. This will help ensure that you are consistent and stay on track. Julianne Alvarez with Our Milk Money offers this suggestion, “It’s a good idea to set your alarm for the same time each weekday morning and to head to the home office/computer at approximately the same time each day.” It’s also a good idea to periodically track how you are spending your time on an average day. Are you doing lower priority items first because they’re easier, leaving more important tasks to gather dust? Experiment with using “To Do” lists that allow you to prioritize each task you write down (i.e., A, B, C), and commit to working the “A” items first.

Never apologize for your kids. This is great advice from Ally Loprete of This Little Parent Stayed Home. In her interview with The Savvy Mompreneur, Ally shares one of the rules she lives by: “Don’t apologize for interruptions from the kids.” They are your top priority before your business or your clients.

Never forget your priorities. Though your home business is important, always keep in mind those priorities that come before it. For many WAHMs, it’s their faith, family and friends. And within your business, remember, as Michael Clouse says, to “keep the main thing the main thing: How many times today will your company’s story be told by you, by one of your distributors, by a 3rd-party tool, or by an event?”

Never let disorganization rule.By getting and staying organized in your home office, you can save precious time. To organize loose papers, try creating a pending/tickler file. Start with a set of 12 hanging file folders, labeled for each month of the year. Then take a set of 31 manila file folders and label them 1 – 31 for the days of the month.
Simply place the stack of manila folders in the current month’s hanging file folder and then file your paper items in the manila folder corresponding with the day you plan to work on that item. This method will not only keep you on task for each day, but will also keep your papers organized.

Never neglect time for you.Work at home moms have to balance many different roles in a given day. While you may be able to survive for some time fulfilling the needs of everyone in your life, you won’t last long without taking some time out for yourself. Our bodies need sufficient time to rejuvenate in order to give our best performance and to maintain health. Find an activity you love and schedule in time for it weekly, if not more often. Your body and your business will thank you.

By following these five things, work at home moms can experience greater success. So what do you think? Anything to add?